Sippel Elected to International Hall of Fame

Nebraska Associate Head Softball Coach Lori Sippel was one of three Canadians voted into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame at the ISF congress in <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Taiwan last week. Sippel will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Canada in 2006.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Sippel was both surprised and honored when she got the call that she would be enshrined alongside the best players in the world.

 

“I got the phone call and it was ?By the way you were nominated and accepted’ and that was pretty overwhelming,” Sippel said. “I know the people in that hall of fame and a lot of them were mentors for me as coaches and as players. It’s unbelievable to think I’ll be in the hall alongside them.”

 

Sippel was a standout pitcher at Nebraska from 1985 to 1988 and will begin her 15th coaching season with the Huskers this spring. In the circle for NU, Sippel was a four-time All-Big Eight selection as well as the three-time Big Eight Tournament Most Valuable Player. Nationally, Sippel was a two-time second-team All-American and was the 1988 GTE Academic All-American of the Year as well as a Honda Broderick Award Nominee.

 

When she finished her career at NU, she held eight career school records and five single-season school records.

 

A native of Stratford, Ontario, Sippel has also been involved with Softball Canada. Currently, she serves as head coach of the Canadian National Team in addition to her duties with the Huskers. Sippel was named head coach last spring following a highly decorated international career for Team Canada.

 

Arguably the most dominant pitcher in the history of the Canadian women’s national team, Sippel first joined the team in 1983 when she was only 17 and was a mainstay for 15 years culminating with her appearance in the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. Her final performance came in the 1998 World Championships, where she tossed a one-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Italy that secured a spot for the Canadians in the 2000 Olympics.

 

Sippel’s No. 16 jersey has been retired by Team Canada and Nebraska and her selection to the 2006 ISF Hall of Fame class is just another honor in a long list of accolades.

 

“You just take care of business at whatever level you are at and you never know where it’s going to take you,” Sippel said. “Where I started was a little country town with a population of 91 and to now say my name goes into a hall with international players is really special. It’s amazing to see where you can go when you love what to do.”